A sound reaction
THE unstoppable, indomitable force of nature that is inspirational Welsh rock legend Mike Peters is currently nearing the end of an extensive 50 date US tour.
However, UK fans will be keen to watch next Friday’s The One Show on BBC One when the Rhyl rocker takes a step back in time to revisit his North Wales roots and the song that started the ball rolling for him.
“It was a great experience, the piece was filmed entirely on location in Rhyl, and to go back to the origins of the band was insightful in lots of ways,” said Mike.
“The producer was particularly keen for me to go back to the moment that our 1983 hit single Sixty Eight Guns was created, and so they had me driving around the town in a 1970’s Ford Cortina, reliving the earliest days of the band’s history when we used to drive around town in my grandad’s old car, blasting out the cassette tapes we put together featuring The Clash, Bob Dylan, Sex Pistols, Killing Joke and all the other bands and artists who were unafraid to speak out in their music at that time.
“It brought back lots of great memories and in many ways it was like going back in time.”
The inspiring musician who has beaten cancer three times said he enjoyed digging out his original lyric books before talking through the song-writing process of Sixty Eight Guns.
“Initially, the original song was quite long and complex, with a lyrical narrative about creating your own opportunities in life,” he said. “When we recorded the song as a single back in 1983, the producer Alan Shacklock, made us take a verse out of the song in order to make it sound more ‘radio friendly’.
“It obviously worked, and Sixty Eight Guns went on to become a huge hit around the world. Whenever we performed the song live afterwards though, something always felt wrong and, after re-reading the original lyrics, I realised that we had inadvertently taken out the verse that contained the lyric that gave the song it’s true meaning: ‘If they take our chances we’ll create our own’. The BBC wanted me to perform the song for the broadcast and so I sang it with those missing lyrics added back in and it felt right again, like the circle had been made complete.”
While The Alarm will be heading out on a series of UK shows this autumn, Mike and his wife Jules are also putting together a Midsummer Gathering at Cardiff University which will be held on June 29, 2019.
It’s a one-off concert that will celebrate 30 years since the recording of their landmark 1989 single, A New South Wales. Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir, who sang on the original recording, will reunite with The Alarm for this special event.
The Alarm’s extensive touring follows the release of the band’s critically-acclaimed new album, Equals, which has put The Alarm back in the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.
“It’s always been important to me to know that our music is still relevant and all the struggles I have had to stay alive mean that I totally appreciate every single opportunity to stand up on stage with The Alarm and share our music with an audience,” said Mike.